Five US based preachers of the Sikh community have been excommunicated by the Sikh clergy for not conducting the ceremony of Sikh Baptism called Amrit Sanchar, in an appropriate manner. The preachers who have been excommunicated are Gurdeep Singh, Rajinder Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Amarjit Singh, and Amarjit Singh Narula.A gurudwara in Virginia has issued a hukamnama on the May 15th over the issue but one of the preachers, Surinder Singh, has been offered another chance by the Akal Takht. Surinder Singh has been asked to appear before the Akal Takht by June 30th.
This decision of excommunicating the preachers was taken on Saturday by the Sikh clergy during a meeting at Akal Takht secretariat. The Sikh preachers who did not conduct the Amrit Sanchar properly have been termed as “adversaries of Sikhism” and reports state that a decision has been taken “the five Sikh high priests directed community members living around the world not to have any social, religious and political relations with those excommunicated, warning that any person does not follow the edict, he/she would be considered a ‘tankhaiya’ (guilty of religious misconduct)”.
Surinder Singh had sent an admission of guilt note to the Akal Takht and had presented himself at the Gurudwara in Washington DC, to the sangat. Confirming this, Giani Gurbachan Singh, the Akal Takht jathedar , stated “We have directed him to appear at Akal Takht on June 30, failing which the same hukamnama will be applicable for him also.”
A ceremony had been organized by Kuldeep Singh , on May 15th and the Coordinator of the Washington Gurudwaras, Pawan Singh stated that the recitation of the hymns had been altered and he “had deleted the Jaap Sahib, Swayyea, and Beanti Chaupai and replaced them with other hymns. But we have found him equally guilty with others.” The move made by Kuldeep and his fellow preachers had been noticed and denounced by the Washington and Baltimore Gurudwaras. Kuldeep with others had been asked to appear on June 4th before the Akal Takht for an explanation but they had been unable to do and this had resulted in their boycott.
On May 15, Kuldeep Singh had organized a ceremony in which he allegedly changed the recitations of the prescribed hymns. “He had deleted the Jaap Sahib, Swayyea, and Beanti Chaupai and replaced them with other hymns,” said Pawan Singh, coordinator of the Washington Gurdwaras, which is dealing with the issue. Following the incident, he said the gurdwaras of Washington and Baltimore came together and denounced the move by Kuldeep and his colleagues.
